Garden Update — Sunday, 8 March 2026
Daily insights generated from live sensor and weather data, compared across 3 AI models. Sensor data from Ecowitt GW1200 · Weather from Open-Meteo · Dunedin, NZ
Live Sensor Readings (Ecowitt)
| Sensor | Value |
|---|---|
| Outdoor temp | 14.5°C (feels like 14.5°C) |
| Outdoor humidity | 83% |
| Dew point | 11.7°C |
| Soil moisture (ch1) | 36% |
| Wind | 0.0 km/h (gusts 0.0 km/h) |
| Rain today | 0.0mm |
| Solar radiation | 0 W/m² |
| UV index | 0 |
| Pressure | 1002.2 hPa |
7-Day Weather Forecast
🌅 Sunrise: 7:20 AM · Sunset: 8:17 PM · Day length: 12.9 hrs
| Date | Max | Min | Rain | Rain% | Wind | UV | ET₀ | Radiation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-08 | 17.5°C | 11.2°C | 2.9mm | 98% | 24kph | 6.0 | 1.5mm | 8.8MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-09 | 12.4°C | 8.9°C | 2.9mm | 83% | 24kph | 6.1 | 2.3mm | 16.9MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-10 | 13.3°C | 7.5°C | 0.0mm | 3% | 28kph | 2.9 | 1.8mm | 11.7MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-11 | 16.6°C | 11.8°C | 0.0mm | 5% | 27kph | 6.0 | 2.8mm | 20.3MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-12 | 19.1°C | 13.0°C | 4.5mm | 25% | 14kph | 4.2 | 1.6mm | 7.6MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-13 | 22.7°C | 11.6°C | 8.6mm | 50% | 28kph | 4.5 | 2.4mm | 6.8MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-14 | 15.5°C | 10.4°C | 3.4mm | 50% | 10kph | 3.6 | 1.7mm | 11.3MJ/m² |
Generated at 7:20 AM NZDT
AI Model Comparison
⚠️ 2 model(s) did not respond:
claude-opus-4-6,claude-sonnet-4-6
🟢 OpenAI — gpt-5.4
The main thing today is establishment: your brassicas are only 8 days from planting (planted 2026-02-28), so this is still a transplant-settling week, not a harvest or curd-management moment. Green Dragon and the other young brassicas are sitting at 36% soil moisture on ch1, which is a touch below the 40–60% ideal for brassicas, but with 5.8 mm rain due over the next 3 days and today’s ET₀ only 1.5 mm, this is a watch-and-wait situation rather than an automatic watering day.
Observations
- 8 days since planting + partial shade in a 3.74 m² bed → the Side Sprouter broccoli should still be putting energy into root establishment, so any disturbance now will slow the May harvest window.
- Soil moisture 36% now, after 33–39% on 2026-03-07 and 36–37% on 2026-03-08 → the cauliflowers are not waterlogged, but they are sitting a bit under the brassica ideal, so they may check slightly if the forecast rain misses you.
- Actual rain was 10.1 mm on 2026-03-01 to 2026-03-02, then 4 straight dry days with ET₀ 2.7–3.7 mm from 2026-03-03 to 2026-03-06 → the cabbages have been living off stored moisture since planting, which explains why the bed is only at 36% despite recent rain.
- Max temperature hit 26.0°C on 2026-03-06, but today is 14.5°C with 83% humidity and 0.0 W/m² solar radiation → Purple broccoli will have much lower water demand today than during the hot spell, so extra irrigation now would risk overdoing it ahead of rain.
- Forecast wind is 24.0–27.7 kph from 2026-03-08 to 2026-03-11 → the broad leaves on Lion Heart cabbage and the other fresh transplants are the most likely to get rocked before they are fully anchored.
Actions for Today
-
Brassica bed: do not irrigate today unless the bed misses tonight’s rain entirely.
Reason: soil moisture is 36%, slightly under the 40% ideal floor, but today’s ET₀ is only 1.5 mm and 2.9 mm rain is forecast today plus 2.9 mm tomorrow; watering now is more likely to overshoot than help. -
Brassica bed: check plant firmness and gently firm any loosened transplants after the windy wet spell, especially the cabbages.
Reason: these plants are only 8 days in the ground, and 24.0–27.7 kph winds are forecast through 2026-03-11; young brassicas are more vulnerable to rocking before roots knit into the composted soil. -
Brassica bed: hold off on blanching, feeding, or any harvest-style management this week.
Reason: at 8 days since planting, the White, Cheddar, and Violet cauliflower are far too young for curd protection, and all brassicas are still in establishment mode. -
Brassica bed: if the forecast rain underdelivers and ch1 stays below 40% by 2026-03-10, give one measured watering to bring the root zone back into the brassica range.
Reason: the recent actual weather included 4 consecutive dry days before today with ET₀ up to 3.7 mm, so there is a mild accumulated moisture deficit even though rain is forecast. -
Brassica bed: postpone any netting decision until the warmer end of the forecast, not today.
Reason: current conditions are 14.5°C, 83% humidity, 0 W/m² solar, and rain is active; that is not especially urgent cabbage-white weather compared with the warmer 19.1°C on 2026-03-12 and 22.7°C on 2026-03-13.
Looking Ahead
The next key change is a wet, windy start followed by a warmer pulse later in the week: 5.8 mm rain by 2026-03-09 with winds around 24 kph, then up to 22.7°C on 2026-03-13 with 8.6 mm rain. Let the early rain do the watering, then be ready to re-check anchorage and moisture after the warm break because transpiration will lift again.
They look less thirsty than they did after that 26.0°C day, but at 36% they’re not exactly luxuriating either.
This post was auto-generated by the Garden AI pipeline. Weather data from Open-Meteo · Claude & GPT insights · Built with Astro